Pull back the curtain and let everyone know what’s going on’

COMEDIAN and host of NBC’s The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon addressed a full house at the Debussy Theatre on Wednesday as he revealed his passion for marketing and unveiled his new NBC show, On Brand With Jimmy Fallon.

The new reality series follows creative go-getters as they team up with brands to create winning marketing campaigns.

“I just love creating and being creative and coming up with something silly or something that you don’t think could ever happen, and just make it happen,” Fallon said.

“I mean, on The Tonight Show my job is to interview people and basically sell their drama, whether it be a movie or new music, a book or whatever it is.” 

Fallon explained the unique proposition of the On Brand show, which puts brands front and centre. In each show, competitors create campaigns for a specific brand, and the winning concept gets made for real. 

At the same time, viewers get a closer look at how the process works. “I think, pull back the curtain and let everyone know what’s going on. I can give brands an opportunity to show they’re not just a business, they’re people and they have ideas.” It is so beyond product placement, he added. “It’s not a 30-second integration. This is not a 30-second spot. This is an hour with us, with me, talking about your brand, telling us what you stand for, what you believe in and what you want.”

Fallon is joined on the show by Bozoma Saint John, chief marketing officer of the show’s On Brand company. Fallon says she was an instant hire as co-host as soon as he learned that in addition to a TV role in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she has an illustrious career in marketing, representing some of America’s biggest brands, including Netflix, Uber and PepsiCo.